Holy smokes, this was a long kiss scene! Easily my longest to date, at 2,880 words. I did not expect to get so verbose on this one! But hey, it worked out pretty well, I think. I hope you guys think so too!
A little extra note: No, that's not a typo, I really do mention Gondor, from Lord of the Rings. It doesn't really go anywhere, I just thought the brief reference might be amusing! Hope y'all don't find it too jarring.
And, as always, if you enjoy this kiss scene, or have suggestions on how I can write better ones, leave a review. I'm always looking to improve my writing, and believe me, your reviews are an integral part of that process!
Anyway, I hope y'all enjoy this one!
The passing of dirt paths underneath Epona's hooves had long been a familiar sight to Link. The open road gave him a feeling of freedom that few other things could match. Especially if he was riding through a landscape like the one he currently was in: a light, open forest of small trees. There wasn't much overhead to block out the sunlight on this late-autumn afternoon, and the ambience it provided put a smile on the Hylian's face.
Normally, Link would be far more openly cheerful in this kind of setting, but he'd a lot to think about lately, since the conclusion of his missions to Holodrum and Labrynna. He'd thought, at first, that they'd be simple jobs - enter the country, take care of whatever bad guy was troubling them, restore balance to everything, get paid, and leave. That was how these jobs had always gone before.
Instead, these last two misadventures had gotten him entangled with three Oracles who seemed suspiciously similar to the three goddesses his people worshipped, forced him to repeatedly mess with seasonal climates and travel into the distant past, and involved the revelation that somehow he - a mere mercenary - was the latest incarnation of the legendary Hero, bearer of the Triforce of Courage, all before culminating in an unforeseen operation to prevent the resurrection of Ganon himself. So yeah, things had gotten complicated on this trip.
The knowledge that he was the newest Hero was what occupied Link's mind the most at the moment. He had somewhat mixed feelings about this information. On one hand, he suspected it would make him a more high-profile figure than he'd been before, which he wasn't a fan of. He preferred a certain degree of anonymity in his work; the attention and appreciation of the people he'd actively aided was fine, full-on fame seemed like it would be a nuisance.
But on the other hand, being the Hero did have its perks. For one thing, it was an incredible honor to wield the Master Sword. Too, finding out who he truly was had answered some lingering questions he'd had about himself. Especially why he always instinctively made sure the jobs he took wouldn't hurt innocent people. Many of his colleagues had no such qualms; a job was a job, as far as most sell-swords were concerned.
Actually, being the Hero answered a lot of questions for him: why he tended not to concern himself with his wages (a few times he'd even jumped into situations without a care to how much - or if - he would be paid), how he had such adept combat instincts, heck, how he'd managed not to die on his first job three years ago when he was eleven.
With all that said, though, he was still unsure what the future held now that his true identity had been revealed to him. Deciding on his next course of action was going to take quite a bit of thought. As he continued on through the light woods, he pondered what he'd do with himself.
…
He hadn't even come close to figuring that out by evening when the small town appeared before him. Link knew the place decently well; Norwatch was a recently-established Labrynnian colony in the no-man's land between the Labrynna and Termina. Not too far north of the town, the scrubby forest he'd been in would gradually transition into the humid mangrove forests of Termina's Woodfall region. Link had spent a night in Norwatch on his way to Holodrum from his last job, as the town had a cozy, fair-sized inn and a couple of good public houses. With the sun beginning to set, he decided it would be a good idea to get a meal at one of the pubs and rent a room for the night.
Slowing down from the steady trot he'd kept Epona at most of the day, Link guided her over to a hitching post near one of the public houses, dismounted, and tied her lead rein to the post. He didn't bother grabbing any of his weapons - they were locked to his saddle straps, so they weren't going to be stolen. Besides, if he had to defend himself, the dirk at his right hip would serve him better indoors than his sword or bow. After checking to ensure Epona was comfortable, he strode over to the pub door and entered.
The public house didn't boast much in terms of atmosphere; it was rather dimly-lit, with a few scattered hunting trophies as decoration for the walls. The deep pools of shadow cast by what candles were lit gave the impression of a place one might expect to encounter some shady dealings. But, while Link suspected the place likely did see some less-than-legitimate meetings from time to time, the pub was frequented more by travellers like himself who were after a simple meal and perhaps a quick swap of news, to whom the atmosphere mattered little. So he showed no hesitation, despite his youth, in making his way through the taproom towards a small empty table near the corner.
He was nearly there when he caught an abrupt movement - or, rather, lack of movement - from another table nearby. It seemed like someone had suddenly frozen for no discernible reason. This pub may not have been too dangerous of a place, but it still paid to be cautious, especially in Link's line of work. So he slowly turned his head to face the disturbance, and promptly did a double-take.
A single amber eye stared right back at him, widened in surprise, from a tall, slender figure Link couldn't make out, as the candle at said figure's table was unlit and crammed into the corner nearest to the Hero. While the fact that whoever it was recognized him was enough of a shock on its own, Link couldn't shake the unnerving feeling like he'd seen someone with eyes (or rather, an eye) like this person's very recently. What unsettled Link even more was the fact that, even bathed in shadow, the unknown figure was clearly very tense. Then someone at a different table got up, allowing the light from his candle to fall on the figure, and Link's eyes shot wide open as he instantly recognized just who was looking back at him.
It was Veran, the Sorceress of Shadows, the very same enemy he'd fought and (he thought) killed back in Labrynna. She didn't have that absurd piece of headgear, but he'd recognize the sorceress anywhere. The deep olive complexion, angular features, and auburn bangs that fell over one eye were unmistakable. Link tensed now, hand hovering over the hilt of his dirk. For several seconds, the two adversaries remained like that, tense and regarding each other with trepidation, thankfully unnoticed by the other patrons, though Link knew if they started fighting (which was pretty likely, he thought), all these bystanders would be caught in the crossfire.
It was Veran who broke the tense silence, forcing herself to breathe and laying her open hands out on her table. "I'm not going to fight if you aren't," she said, voice wavering, though she was obviously trying her hardest to sound calm.
Link took his hand slightly away from his dirk, eyeing Veran warily. "How do I know that?" he asked.
He could see the doubt flicker in the sorceress' eyes for a moment, before she inclined her head towards the empty chair at her table. "Care for a seat?" she asked, nervousness still coloring her voice. "My hands are out in the open, so you'll know if I try anything."
Link hesitated for a second, then slowly, cautiously, made his way over to the open chair, his eyes locked on her. Only once he'd sat down did one of her hands move, deliberately coming over the small candle on the table and lighting it with a bit of magic. Link raised an eyebrow in questioning. Veran grimaced. "With my figure, it's easy to attract the wrong sort of attention," she explained. "It's easier to stay in the shadows most of the time. I figure if you're here, though, I won't be bothered."
Link nodded slowly at the information, letting silence fall between them again. It was several seconds before he finally thought to ask the obvious question: "How are you still alive? I thought you'd died at the end of our fight."
A corner of Veran's mouth rose slightly. "I was rather hoping you'd think that," she answered. "Once I realized you were the Hero, I decided to cut my losses and get out of there. I didn't want you trying to chase me down, so I made sure my 'death' would look convincing. Whole lot of good that did me, I guess." She chuckled a little at the irony of the situation, and Link couldn't help but smirk at that.
"So, you're a mercenary, then, like me?" Link inquired.
Veran nodded. "I was approached by these two old hags who offered me a lot of rupees to possess some key people in Labrynna. They never told me they were trying to resurrect Ganon, and they sure didn't let me know I'd get tangled up with the Hero. I wouldn't have taken the job if I'd known that."
Link scoffed a little. "That's why I always ask questions before taking a job," Link said with a smirk.
Veran rolled her eyes. "Yeah, laugh it up," she chided sarcastically. "At least they paid enough up front that I felt comfortable bailing. How much did you earn for stopping me?"
"Somewhere around fifty thou..." Link began proudly, before stopping short as he patted his wallet. That was strange, shouldn't it feel fuller? He quickly opened it and looked inside for several seconds, before turning back to Veran, completely crestfallen.
The sorceress couldn't help herself. She busted out laughing at the look on Link's face. "Let me guess," she queried, "you were so caught up in being the Hero that you forgot to collect the bounty?" Link nodded sheepishly, and Veran chuckled again, shaking her head in amusement at Link's misfortune. "Tell you what," she offered, placing a hand over one of Link's, "I've got a job starting in Termina. You're welcome to tag along; we can probably ask for double pay, and if not, eh, I can afford to go fifty-fifty." Link looked suspiciously back at her, prompting her to scoff again. "Oh, relax," she said, "it doesn't involve causing chaos. It's literally just providing security for a merchant ship from the Great Bay to Gondor. If we hurt anyone, it'll just be pirates who definitely deserve it."
Link did relax, though he still wasn't quite used to the idea of Veran, of all people, being civil like this. Even so, he nodded. "Alright, I'm in," he replied. "When do we need to be there?"
"The ship heads out the day after tomorrow," she answered. "If we head north in the morning, we should be able to spend tomorrow night in Clock Town and be on board in time."
Link nodded. "So I can still spend the night here, then," he observed. "That's good. I've definitely got enough for a meal and a room tonight."
"Don't worry about the room," Veran cut in. "If we're going to partner up, we might as well stay together for the night."
Link looked back at her, a little suspicious again, but quickly shrugged and thought no more of it, especially after the young lad waiting the tables came over to take their order.
…
As the two mercenaries walked into the inn, Link couldn't help but feel some satisfaction at how the evening had gone. Not only had he gotten a job sooner than he'd anticipated, but he would have a partner for it (even if said partner was unexpected). To make things even better, the potato soup at the public house was hearty and filling, and he'd be able to get a decent night's sleep, even if he was sharing a room.
The fellow working the desk paid the two no heed as they ascended a narrow staircase, Veran in front, before stopping at the second door on the left. As the pair stepped into the room, Link paused.
He'd just remembered a rather uncomfortable detail about sharing a room at this inn: none of the rooms contained more than one bed. Certainly, it could still fit two people, but as he looked at the single bed in the room, he wondered if Veran was feeling as uncomfortable about this as he was.
If she was, she sure didn't show it. "What side of the bed do you prefer?" she asked casually. I guess she's not bothered at all, Link thought.
"Uhhh...right?" he answered a bit uncertainly, setting his pack on "his" side of the bed and turning his back to Veran, noticing that she was already starting to change. Honestly, couldn't she have given him a little warning?
It seemed the sorceress caught the movement, if her quiet chuckle was any indication. "I usually just go to sleep in underclothes," she said after a little while, "but since it looks like that would make you uncomfortable...huh, my nightgown should be down here somewhere...Oh, there it is." Link didn't turn back to look; discomfited both by the situation itself and by Veran's supreme confidence therein. He said nothing as he removed his cap, boots, socks, and tunic.
He'd just slipped his brown shirt over his head when he heard a low whistle. He turned suddenly, and his brows shot up when he saw Veran looking right at him from the corner of her eye. Link brought his shirt back in front of him to cover up, but the sorceress just chuckled lowly. "No need to be ashamed," she commented, "I've already seen it. If it helps, you look quite fit for your age."
It didn't really help, but Link decided to just drop it (not that he'd said anything anyway).
He'd just discarded the shirt when Veran asked him something that took him by shock: "Say, Link, I can't help but be curious, have you ever been kissed before?"
Link looked back at her, incredulous. Unfortunately, with the way she was looking intently back at him, it didn't seem like she'd drop the question. So, rubbing the back of his head, he answered, "Well...uh...once. Princess Zelda kissed me on the cheek after the fight with Ganon. It was...nice, I guess."
"I'm not going to count that one if it was just the cheek," Veran said, which instantly told Link what she'd really meant by her question. The blush he'd been holding back since entering the room now broke through and spread across his face.
The sly look she suddenly gained made her intentions sparklingly clear to Link as she started to approach him. Yet Link couldn't find it in himself to back away. And he knew exactly why, too. Everything about Veran seemed to glow in the warm candlelight, from her long auburn locks to her skin to the dark purple silk nightgown she was now wearing.
Despite being pretty sure what was coming, he was still quite unprepared when Veran bent over him, lifted his chin up, and planted a kiss on his slightly-open mouth. So lost was he in his shock at the sudden action that he didn't even register that he was kissing back until their lips met for the third time.
By that time he realized that, she pulled her lips gently away from his and breathed, "Couldn't resist," into his ear. Next thing Link knew, she'd moved away, slipping under the covers of the lone bed and looking intently at him once more. "Are you coming in?" she inquired.
Link quickly cleared his head and moved over to the bed himself. She probably didn't mean much by it, he thought, probably wanted to be able to say she took my first real kiss.
He was taken off guard yet again as he got under the covers, and Veran wrapped an arm around his body to pull him in close. Eyes wide, he just managed to whisper, "Can we try to fall asleep now?"
Veran smirked. "One more," she answered, giving him no time to respond before pressing her open lips to his once more. And once again, Link found himself going along with it as she held it for several seconds. Suddenly he felt her tongue slip past his lips and probe around his mouth. That flipped a mental switch in Link, who, with a hum of unconscious longing, responded in kind, wrapping his own arms around her.
They held that kiss for a few minutes before the sorceress finally, very slowly, released his lips. For a few seconds they just stared at each other, Veran smirking, Link flushed and starstruck. "What do you say, we give us a try?" she breathed.
Link was still panting after that breathtaking kiss, but he managed to nod and whisper, "Okay."
Veran grinned and blew out the candle that still illuminated the room, then settled in and brought the Hero further into her embrace. Surprisingly, given the sudden turn of events, Link found himself falling asleep in record time.